Got that off the to do list!

Yesterday I looked at the item that just kept getting transferred from one to do list to the next to do list and got realistic about the chances that I would actually do it!

I had items from my Mom's estate that still needed to be sold (old watches and jewelry) and thought I should put them on eBay. Yet I didn't do it.

Our cousin makes an early retirement income from managing estate sales and selling on eBay and at a flea market. He does a great job and recently handled my FIL's moving to assisted living sale. I decided to have him see what he could do with the items and help him out at the same time I could let go of the guilt of not acting.

That led to making decisions about more old jewelry, etc. that I had sitting in drawers. Most of it was items my Mom had given to me that had belonged to her, her parents or her grandparents. They meant something to her but not enough to keep them and I only used about 5% of them over the last 20 to 30 years. I packed them up too and shipped it all yesterday. Consider that project 37 completed out of the goal of 52 for the year.

I feel relieved.

I also decided that I need to look at other unfinished and optional projects the same way.

- Am I actually interested in finishing this project or do I just feel guilty for having it unfinished for so long?

- If I really want it done, can someone else do it for me?

- If I really don't care, then what am I going to do with the half finished project and supplies?

There are enough things in life that truly have to be done. Laundry, meal prep, cleaning, yard work, bill paying, exercise, preventive health care, etc. There are enough worthwhile and fun things to fill the rest of the days.

The decluttering of part of my Mom's stuff also led to going through a bit more of the things I had brought home from her house. Do I need Christmas cards sufficient for the next 10 years? I kept the ones I really like and the rest will go in the Friends of the Library book sale. Still have other things to go through but the progress felt really good.

52 Projects Sunday - several Sundays update

Whew, it has been a while since I updated my progress on my 52 projects challenge.

I the last four weeks I have completed or facilitated the completions of (gotten someone else to do it LOL) exactly 4 projects. I had better get busy if I am going to finish 52 by year end!

32. Unpacked the framed family photos I brought home from my Mom's house and displayed the ones that make me smile. That led to a slight rearranging of furniture in the office and I am loving the new space.
33. Broken ping pong table was finally put at the curb and picked up by trash collection.
34. Trunks of 3 large downed trees were removed from the wooded area of our yard.
35. All documents for the sale of Mom and Dad's house were signed and returned for the closing on August 4th.

52 Projects Sunday -

31. I finally made a summer skirt using some of the fabric I received for Christmas and my newly drafted custom skirt pattern. I was really happy with how it turned out! Of course I haven't actually worn it anywhere yet so we will see how it goes.

 

 32. Unpacked the framed family photos I brought home from my Mom's house and displayed the ones that make me smile. Cleared off some upper book shelves in our home office and made the display there as we are short of good wall space. That led to a slight rearranging of furniture in the office and I am loving the new space.

 

I look so much like this great grandmother that I had to include her picture!

 

 

When one of my nephews was very young he saw this picture and said it was a picture of me! Wouldn't it be fun to put on a dress like that and take a matching picture?

 



52 Projects Sunday - jewelry & estate related tasks

29. Sold broken/unused jewelry and had other items repaired or resized

30. Shipped to a cousin some items that had belonged to her Father and that we found in my Mom's house

52 Projects Sunday now at 28 completed

26. Hubby fixed wood rot above the back door overhang

27. Sprayed invasive plants in wooded area

28. Went through Mom's recipe box; kept a few to try and recycled the rest

Another week, another 52 projects and accomplishments update

More projects completed:

23. Sprayed yard for mosquito control before they hatched. Hope to stay ahead of the problem this wet summer.

24. Altered two pairs of shorts so that they fit better and I am happier wearing them.

25. Hubby washed the front entry and siding. He also touched up some paint chips around the door using paint on hand.

Other accomplishments & all seem to be food related LOL.

- Made a coleslaw dish to take to the neighborhood potluck and summer party with what was on hand (green & red cabbage, green onions, red pepper, carrots and a vinegar dressing). It was a hit.

- Used up extra ripe bananas, applesauce and walnuts to make muffins

- Had 5 people over for lunch before a play matinee. We had fallen out of the habit of having people over to eat and are trying to get back to doing that more.

- Made a menu plan and followed it. No dinners out again this week.

- I am trying to break my going out for coffee & a treat every afternoon habit and managed not to do it at all this week.
 

52 Projects Sunday and this week's accomplishments

 

Projects Completed:

19. Replaced all the door and drawer "bumpers" on kitchen cabinets as the originals had dried out after years of use.

20. Refashioned a thrifted summer shirt so I like it and will wear it

21. Sold my Mom's wedding/engagement rings, loose diamonds and some other estate jewelry. Tip: find a diamond broker to sell to rather than going to a jewelry store as they will buy a wider range of gems and pay more for the gold.

22. Replaced shower door "sweep" with one bought through internet after the local company I tried to use was unresponsive. The sweep is the vinyl piece that fits in the bottom of the door to keep the water inside and the old one was warped and grungy.

In addition to the above, I did the following.

- Ate all dinners at home - that is an accomplishment for us. Since we have company next week and will be showing them around and taking them out, this was a good week to stay home.

- We are now on the summer electricity rate plan which means rates are higher from 2 to 7 pm on weekdays. I have adjusted when I do laundry, run the dishwasher and use the computer to use the low rate time only. Nothing I can do about air conditioning, but I am opening the windows/doors and running the whole house fan in the morning if it is cooler outside than inside and not too humid. Also am using small fans to cool area where I am instead of turning down AC to a lower temperature in the afternoon.

- We stopped drinking beer and wine as a result of Hubby's gout and the research that shows not drinking and/or drinking very little beer can help prevent future episodes.

-  Bought a discounted gift certificate for a haircut and a CVS gift card for 10% savings on each.

- Submitted on-line application for Medicare Part A.

- Remembered to ask if had accumulated enough points for a free dog grooming and was far past number needed. Dog was groomed for free except for tip for the groomer.

- Let my sons and DILs decide what would work best for our family visit. They decided to all meet in Pasadena over Labor Day weekend so it would include my 65th birthday! We are going to rent a house through Airbnb so that the 4 of us who don't live there can stay comfortably. I am very happy.

- Used what I had on hand to wrap a bottle of wine for a retirement party gift.

Once again a combination of everyday savings and plans for large travel and entertainment expenses. As always trying to put our money where it means the most to us.



 



52 Projects Sunday - the anti-procrastination edition

Finally I spent 10 minutes fixing something that had been bugging me for a year!

Project 18: Took in too large PJ top

Onward to address other projects where procrastination has ruled.

52 Project Sunday - on Monday

We have been busy working and playing this 3 day weekend. Saturday I spent the day helping to run a book sale for my Friends of the Library group and came home to a glass of wine and dinner cooked by Hubby. Lovely.

Sunday we went to downtown Atlanta for a lunch near Centennial Olympic Park, watched the kids playing and squealing in the water feature in the park and then rode the new large ferris wheel, Atlanta Skyview. We combined driving, walking and taking the subway so it was also a good urban hike. A nice long phone call from our younger son in the evening and it was a lovely day.

Today I completed 2 projects:

15. Plant annuals in bare spaces in perennial bed
16. Replace phone that is causing problems

Hubby worked hard on one big project.

17. Back porch and patio scrubbed well and patio furniture out to enjoy

How is your project list coming along?

52 Projects Sunday

It has been a while since I did an update on this and I know I am still a bit behind schedule but that is ok. I am up to project 14. Unfortunately, two of my projects were related to my Mom's death but they had to be done.

The new screen for the French press speaks to the wonders of online shopping. I was able to order the part and it arrived two days later. No more worries about pieces of metal shredding into our coffee in the morning and no replacement of the perfectly fine other parts of the press.

12. Helped prepare Mom's house for sale
13. Unpacked and put away items brought home from Mom's house
14. Replaced screen on French press

My 52 weeks of decluttering project took a numerical set back due to the items I kept from my Mom's house. Currently my tally shows 178 items have left our home and 92 came in (not counting replacements or consumables). So I am only at 86 items decluttered out of my goal of 365.

52 Projects Sunday on a Monday

As you know I am dealing with the things that have to be done after your last parent dies. So unfortunately my completed projects for this week were to finish writing death notices to extended family and friends as well as lots of emails and phone calls related to legal and financial matters.

52 Projects Sunday - sewing, leak proofing and transplanting - and an anniversary

3 projects will be done by the end of today (I know I am stretching the project rules here). I did finish the "muslin" skirt and altered the pattern draft and am now ready to cut out the real material and see if I can make it fit.

Hubby is working hard on trying to stop water from coming into our basement when we have heavy rain. He has already done some roof repair and is finishing work on the grading and downspout today.

I am going to transplant an azalea that is failing to thrive and put it in a hopefully better location. This is the second try in the current location so it is obviously a no go spot.

We celebrated our 33rd anniversary last night with a play at our favorite theatre followed by dinner out. Enjoyed both greatly.

Have a great week!

52 Projects Sunday

Despite being on vacation for 5 days in Key West, we finished 2 more projects. Small tears in pillowcases were mended and a feature wall was painted in the guest room! That is projects 7 and 8 so only 44 to go if I make it LOL.

I also have a success from some time ago. I was ready to toss three old potted geraniums when I decided to try applying fertilizer instead. The results are amazing! They look better than when I bought them a few years ago and are a cheery addition to our sunporch.

52 Projects Sunday

I'm still trying to catch up on the 52 projects challenge over at Living a slow and simple life given that I started at the beginning of week 13.

This week I finished the first version of a custom skirt pattern. I used to sew a lot when I fit retail patterns without alterations but now I am taking on the challenge of making my own pattern using the instructions and basic pattern in

and next I will make a "muslin" to see if the dimensions are correct. I have two lovely summery batik fabrics I received for Christmas and I need to get going if I am going to have skirts to wear this summer.
Keeping the sewing theme going I also mended a tear in a mattress pad and some in a set of pillowcases. I'm now at 6 completed projects.

52 projects Sunday

I'm off to a late start on the 52 projects challenge over at Living a slow and simple life given that it is the beginning of week 13, but I'm going to keep track anyway. If I helped organize it, I'll count it even if someone else did the heavy lifting because at least it got done! So here it goes.

I'm so pleased that I finally altered a pair of lightweight slacks so that they fit properly. Whenever I wore them I felt dumpy so I rarely wore them. I took them on our vacation to N. CA and felt really dumpy the day I wore them so alterations became a priority! Now they are done.

Just for the record I'm also counting the removal of the fence and trees in our wooded area so I'm at 3 completed projects.